Tatakae!! Ramenman
, also known as ''Lomien Man , is a manga authored by the duo of Yudetamago that was serialized in Shueisha's Fresh Jump magazine from June 1982 to December 1988 (concluding along with the cancellation of the magazine itself). The title is a spin-off of the authors' previous work, Kinnikuman, centering around the character of Ramenman, who travels the land to fight various enemies. Like its predecessor, it was adapted into an anime version by Toei Animation, which spans a 35-episode television series that aired on Nippon Television in 1988 and a theatrical film. A video game for the Family Computer was published by Bandai in 1988. Since the Ramenman in this series seems to have no direct connection to Kinnikuman's Ramenman, it is assumed that this series follows an alternate continuity. There is also the belief that this Ramenman is supposed to be the ancestor of Kinnikuman's Ramenman. Summary Set in a land where several martial arts styles collide, including (but not limited to) Chinese Kung Fu, Japanese Karate, and South Korean Taekwondo. Yet amongst these Shaolin-trained fighters and men powerful enough to cut the face of a mountain, Victory Ramenman is said to be the strongest of them all. At a young age, he witnessed his father Somenman being murdered by members of the Cobra Gang (who are still running rampant to this day). Found and taken in by the wise old Chen Sou-Mei, Ramenman trains for 12 years under his master and learns the great Essential Battle Dragon (闘龍極意書, To Ryuu Gokui Sho) style of Choujin Martial arts. Now, with his young sidekick Shao-Mai, Ramenman travels the land seeking vengeance for his father, fighting several villains along the way. Cast of Characters Main *' ' (young: Hiroko Emori) : Born in Onikobe Village, Henan, China. At a young age he witnessed his father, the great martial artist Somenman, murdered by the infamous Cobra Gang. While the rest of his family was killed, he was thrown down a ravine. He survived and was soon found by Chén Zōng-Míng, who took him under his wing and trained him in the ways of Choujin Martial arts so that he could one day avenge his family. 12 years later his training is complete, so Chén Zōng-Míng places the Chuu (中') mark on his forehead and rechristens him "Victory Ramenman". He then gave him the "Essential Battle Dragon" scroll and set him off into the world. :'Techniques: , , , , *' ' : Ramenman's young sidekick. Ramenman saved him from some thugs and, after learning that he too had lost his family to the Cobra Gang, allowed him to travel with him. Although he behaves childishly and gets in Ramenman's way at times, he is actually quite knowledgeable in martial arts and even occasionally gives Ramenman advice. :Techniques: , *' ' : Ramenman's master and the 102nd successor of the Choujin Martial Arts. Taught Ramenman the Essential Battle Dragon Style. Often referred to as Chin-Rōshi (陳老師). He shows up again from time-to-time, sometimes out of nowhere or from unusual places (frequently startling Ramenman in the process). In his younger days, he traveled the land exterminating villains. :Techniques: *' ' : Ramenman's younger sister. Believed to have been killed during the Cobra Gang attack, the two are reunited several years later. She was found and raised by a kind old carpenter in Onikobe Village. She currently works as part of a traveling entertainment party, showing up again every now-and-then. *' ' : An anime original character who works as a ramen cart operator. Apparently based on the Kyonshi. *' ' : An anime original character. She is the leader of the and the adoptive mother of both La Niang and Takenoko. Her name appears to come from Mapo doufu. *' ' : An anime original character. A performer in the Mápó Troupe, she is La Niang's adopted older sister. Like La Niang, she too has a long lost older brother (later revealed to be Kinnikuken Banboro). Her name means bamboo shoot. *' ' : The young emperor of China. *' ' : Ramenman's father. He and his family were killed by the Cobra Gang when Ramenman was a kid. *' ' : A martial artists who challenges Ramenman to a duel but loses his left arm after attacking him with a sword when he loses. He dips his right arm in a bowl of poison for several days, transforming it into the secret . He fights Ramenman again and nearly kills him with a touch from his Dokushu, but Ramenman recovers and fights him again, defeating him with the . When he falls over he accidentally touches himself with the Dokushu, killing himself. However, he somehow returns to life and becomes a strong ally of Ramenman's. In Volume 5 he regains his left arm with no explanation. :To avoid sounding like Mobile Suit Gundam, his name was changed to in the anime. :Techniques: Dokushu, , *' ' → Ken Yamaguchi (Ep. 22~) : A user of the which is said to surpass Choujin Kenpo, he carrys around a large bottle on his back that he throws into the air and shatters with a kick, causing the broken fragments to attack his enemies. He would use this strength to attack villages, but when he kills Gyoza's father, Gyoza receives training from Ramenman and eventually defeats Hogan. Afterwards he reforms and reappears as one of Ramenman's comrades. He has also become a ceramic craftsman in order to make more bottles. He is frequently killed and his Sandan Ryuusei Kyaku is defeated, only to repeatedly return later without any explanation. :Techniques: , , , *' ' : A powerful Muay Thai user. In order to feed his starving siblings he participates in Emperor Wan's tournament and meets Ramenman. He appears again as one of Ramenman's comrades and is one of the few to start out as an ally instead of a rival. He possesses the which chops up enemies bodies like ramen noodles, but he is only ever shown using it once. :Techniques: , , , , , , *' ' , Naoko Watanabe (child) : Homeland: Fujian, China. He is the emperor's dog deliverer and he uses this position to frequently push around and rob the villagers of . He is actually a childhood friend of Ramenman's and used to love playing with animals. However, he has lost his kind heart and is eventually defeated by Ramenman. From then on he appears as one of Ramenman's allies. He is also the one who controls Ramenman Robo. Real name: . :Techniques: , :*'Ramenman Robo (拉麺男鑞暴)' Main Villains ; : (VA: Kenji Utsumi) :*' ' :: (VA: Kazumi Tanaka). :*' ' :: (VA: Masato Hirano). :*' ' :: (VA: Hirohiko Kakegawa). :*' ' :: (VA: Daisuke Gōri). :*' ' :: (VA: Masato Hirano). :*' ' :: (VA: Michitaka Kobayashi). ; : :*' ' :: (VA: Daisuke Gōri). :*' ' :: (VA: Daisuke Gōri). :*' ' :: (VA: Ikuya Sawaki). ; : (VA: Masaharu Satō). ; : (VA: Kan Tokumaru). ; : (VA: Masato Hirano). ; : (VA: Kazuo Oka). :*' :: ; : (VA: Yūji Mikimoto). ; :*' ' :: Other Villains ; :*' ' :: (VA: Kōji Totani). :*' ' :: (VA: Kazumi Tanaka). :*' ' :: (VA: Hiroshi Ohtake). ; : (VA: Takaya Hashi). :*' ' :: (VA: Yūji Mikimoto). :*' ' :: (VA: Masaharu Satō). ; : (VA: Tesshō Genda). Parody of King Kong Bundy and Bruiser Brody. ; : (VA: Kiyoshi Kobayashi). ; : (VA: Kōji Totani). ; : (VA: Daisuke Gōri). Parody of André the Giant ; : Real name: . A man who once trained with Ramenman and know holds a grudge against him. In the manga he only showed up once, but in the anime he becomes a recurring character. ;Seiyū *Norio Wakamoto (adult); Mie Suzuki (child) :*' , ''' , , and : (VA: Kōzō Shioya, Michitaka Kobayashi, Daisuke Gōri, Masato Hirano). Banboro's gang. :*' ' :: :*' ' :: :*' ' :: ; :*' ' :: (VA: Banjō Ginga). :**' ' ::: (VA: Toku Nishio). :*' ' :: (VA: Kōji Totani). :**' ' ::: :**' ' ::: (VA: Toku Nishio). :**' ' ::: (VA: Noriko Tsukase). :*' ' :: (VA: Chikao Ōtsuka). ; : (VA: Seizō Katō). :*' ' :: (VA: Shōzō Iizuka). ; : (VA: Chikao Ōtsuka). ; : (VA: Yū Shimaka). ; : (VA: Daisuke Gōri). Other Characters ;Pitan (比丹) : (VA: Yoshitada Ōtsuka). ;Leila (麗羅) : (VA: Hiromi Tsuru). ;Kassatsujizaiken Jackie Lee (括殺自在拳ジャッキー･李) : (VA: Bin Shimada). ;Karasukenpō Harusame (鴉群拳法春雨) : (VA: Ikuya Sawaki). ;Barbara (羽薔薇) : (VA: Chieko Honda). Anime Broadcasted: January 10~September 11, 1988, Broadcast Time: Every Sunday from 10:30~11:00 on NTV. 35 Episodes. From March to July 2008 reruns of the show were aired on the Toei Channel. Staff *Original Author: Yudetamago *Planning: Kazuo Shimamura, Yoshio Takami, Kyoutarou Kimura, Hidehiko Takei *Producer: Masahisa Saeki *Writing: Haruya Yamazaki, Kenji Terada *Series Director: Masayuki Akihi *Other Directors: Yasuo Yamayoshi, Takeshi Shirato, Takashi Kuoka, others *Character Design: Yasuhiro Yamaguchi *Background Art Design: Makoto Sakamoto *Music: Keiichi Oku Theme Songs *Opening: *Ending: Both are performed by Junichiro Oda. Movie *Tatakae!! Ramenman: Released July 23, 1988 by Toei Manga Matsuri. Game *' ' Released August 10, 1988 by Bandai. Available on Famicom. References External links *Tatakae!! Ramenman (Toei Animation site) * Category:Kinnikuman Category:Anime of 1988 Category:Manga of 1982 Category:Martial arts anime and manga ja:闘将!!拉麺男